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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. stock — shares
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bound — certain
  6. tube — the underground
  7. degree — temperature
  8. rest — what's left
  9. stock — goods
  10. tube — a container
  11. degree — from a university
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. ball — a great time
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bound — obliged
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. rest — a break
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bound — tied together
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. degree — an amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com